Overview:
The Cape Breton Regional Library offers members a handy “Book Club in A Bag” service. Each “Book Club in A Bag” kit contains 8-10 copies of a title; some kits include an audiobook on CD and a large print edition. There are over 300 “Book Club in A Bag” kits in the SamePage catalogue to borrow and read!
To view the current selection of titles, please click on the Book List.
Library-Hosted Book Clubs (meet in library branches):
Library-hosted book clubs have up to 10 members and meet every 4 weeks. Library staff manage the selection and distribution of books but do not participate in the meetings. While many of CBRL’s book clubs are generally full, spots do become available. For more information on joining a CBRL book club or adding your name to a waitlist, please contact your local branch.
Community-Based Book Clubs (meet in homes):
Library patrons may check out “Book Club in A Bag” kits for use in private book clubs. The loans are for 6 weeks, with no renewals. One member of the book club must check out the entire kit and is responsible for both the bag and all the copies it contains. The bag and all the books must be borrowed together and returned together. CBRL has a Tracking Sheet to help the club keep track of who has each book in the set.
Tips on using the library’s “Book Club in A Bag” kits:
- Browse the Book List with your club and create your own “Wish List” of titles you
are interested in reading. - You can see how many books each kit has—and in what formats they appear—by clicking on the “Full Details” link in the kit description in the SamePage catalogue.
- 2-3 weeks before each book club meeting, use the SamePage catalogue to select a kit to place on hold. You can search for specific titles by including the word “bag” or “kit” at the end of the title, or see all kits by typing “book club kit” in the search bar. The kit you place on hold must be marked “Available,” in green. If you place a hold on a kit that is marked “All copies in use,” in red, you will not receive it in time for your meeting. You can use the “filter results” feature in the catalogue and select “available now” to display only the sets that are currently available to borrow. Only place holds on up to two kits at a time. You can add other titles to your “For Later” shelf when logged into your SamePage account.
- The person who placed the “Book Club in A Bag” on hold will be notified by email or phone when it is ready for pick-up. They will check out the bag and are responsible for both the bag and all the copies it contains.
- Distribute the copies to your book club members, using the Tracking Sheet to record who has which copy.
- At the next meeting, gather all the books and return the full kit to the library.
Book Clubs Served by the Bookmobile:
Since the Bookmobile visits each stop every 4 weeks, the loan period for “Book Club in A Bag” kits delivered by the Bookmobile is also 4 weeks.
Questions?
Contact your local branch or email programs@cbrl.ca.